Escaping A Disaster Without A Car

"John Renne, assistant professor of urban planning and transportation studies at the University of New Orleans, said Hurricane Katrina exposed just how vulnerable the estimated 130,000 carless New Orleanians are during emergencies."

"Therefore, The University of New Orleans, along with the Regional Planning Commission and the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority will host a national conference on the school's lakefront campus Feb. 8-9 titled 'Disaster Planning for the Carless Society.' "

"Evacuating the carless is truly a national issue, Renne said, noting that an estimated 56 percent of New York City's residents are carless, followed by Washington, D.C., at 37 percent, Baltimore and Philadelphia at 36 percent each, Boston at 35 percent, and Chicago and San Francisco at 29 percent apiece."

"Renne says transportation planners need to better coordinate with emergency planners and health-care providers," and remarks that "the carless population is likely to increase because we have an 'aging society' - which explains why the AARP is a major sponsor of the conference. About 10 percent of the population is disabled nationally, he added."